Despite often topping lists of unconventional seasonal movies, Die Hard isn’t actually a Christmas film, according to a new YouGov poll.
The results published today (December 4) found that the majority of people think that a film that isn’t explicitly about Christmas can’t be a Christmas film.
Only 31% of those polled said that they considered a film that takes place at Christmas time – but is not actually about Christmas – a Christmas movie.
By contrast, 50% don’t consider such films a Christmas movie, and 19% said they don’t know.
However, the figures were markedly different for 18-24 year-olds, who may have been thinking of Die Hard when answering the question.
Of that age group, 42% said that such a film was a Christmas movie, higher than the 38% who said it was not.
For the perhaps more-traditional over-65s, only 19% percent of those quizzed said that such a film was a Christmas movie, compared to 59% who said it wasn’t.
The group most strict in insisting that their Christmas movies must be about Christmas were UKIP voters.
61% of those backing the party made that a condition, compared to 21% who were happy with Christmastime films making the cut.
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Released in July 1988, Die Hard is set at Christmas Eve and has appeared in Top Christmas Films lists from the likes of Empire, Entertainment Weekly, The Hollywood Reporter, Digital Spy, The Guardian and Forbes.
Despite being released ahead of Christmas 2013, Frozen is another controversial “Christmas movie”, as it’s actually set in summer.